I'll Never Say Goodbye

Chapter 9

Sqaishey's POV

I wake up in the same empty bedroom, my mother next to me.

I don't look any different, but I know that I'm waking up this morning as an official adult.

I stare out the window.

It's rainy out. Sighing, I get out of bed, leaving my mother to sleep peacefully.

I look at the scenery outside. A few cars drive by, but it's unusually quiet. Then I realise it's pretty dark.

I wonder what time it is. In the distance I can just see the sun on the horizon...

"Happy Birthday, Beth." I hear my mothers tired voice say.

"Am I actually 18 yet?" I ask.

"Yeah... You were 18 about 3 minutes ago."

Who would have thought I'd be locked in an empty room with my mother, taken away from the one who I loved most, somewhere in the UK for my 18th birthday?

I sigh.

"I can run away now, can't I?" I say hopefully to my mother. "Can't I?" I start to look doubtful when she looks away.

"Beth, I'm older than 18... And I'm still controlled by your father." she says sadly.

"Then this is it! We can finally get away, live our lives like normal people without thoughts of abuse hanging over us."

She stares out the window. There is silence.

"Mum?" I say.

"No, Beth. Not yet."

I sigh. Happy Birthday to Me. Best birthday ever.

*Time Skip*

"Beth!" My mother says, opening the door.

My father had let her out a few hours ago and now we were going out while he was at the pub. "Coming!" I say.

I rush out the door, a plan in my head. I will run. If my mother doesn't want to come, then fine. But I'm 18. I know what I'm doing.

We rush down the streets, my mother leading me somewhere. I'm going to follow her there, then when she's distracted, run.

The cars flash by... And I wonder... Could this be London? But I have been to London before, and I don't recognise the town.

We soon reach the shopping district and my mother leads me to the cinema.

"Choose your movie." She says, smiling.

I should have run... But I'd been waiting for ages for Hunger Games: Mockingjay to come out... I can leave a bit early, just before the credits. Then make my way to a train station.

We line up in the queue, which is only a few people since it's 8pm. My mother gets two adult tickets (I'm 18 now!) and a medium box of popcorn.

We enter Cinema 2 and sit down waiting for the movie to start.

The movie flies past; and soon the credits come. This is my chance.

I rush out of the cinema, running down the stairs, and out onto the street.

The people push past me, lights are flashing everywhere.

I don't know what to do.

Instinct kicks in.

I rush down one street, down another into an alleyway.

Dusty smoke flies around my face, and I notice a few buildings around me; a barber, a few closed buildings and a pub.

Then it hits me when I see the figure staring at me.

I've ran into my father.

Stampy's POV

Two days later, we sit in a taxi on the way back to my place. Andrew insisted on checking the phone book for his dads name, but he didn't find anything. We even went around the area, asking people if they knew where they went. They all said the same thing: that they left a while ago and no one knew where they went. Floodwaters had come through later and nearly destroyed the house.

So we stuck to our word and kept going, back to my home town.

The first thing we would do is check the phone book, but if that doesn't work, ask around again. That's really all we can do.

On the positive side, Andrew and I have become really good friends. It's not as awkward anymore, and we're ready to help each other. Over the last day or so, he tried to make me go home. He said he'd call me when he found her, but I refused. As long as we stayed in places with wifi, I had enough videos to keep me going for nearly a month.

*~.~*

"Do you have any idea where to start?" Andrew asks me when we arrive at my apartment. I shake my head.

"She's your sister, mate. I don't even know her last name. She's a stranger to me. Maybe we could google her?" Andrew nods.

"That sounds good."

I turn into my bedroom and press the power button on the computer. It loads to my login screen, and I type in the password. Then it brings up the home page. I click on Google Chrome and hand the mouse to Andrew.

"All yours," I say to him. He sits down and types something into the search bar, somehow shielding the screen from me. I lean over his shoulder and glance at what he typed in.

Bethany Bates.

I freeze.

Sure enough, her YouTube page comes up. Andrew moves to images.

"There she is! That's Beth!"

He's pointing to a picture of Sqaishey.